Photographic Workshops – For Individuals and Couples

On Location Training

Dartmoor is full of fantastic locations for photography. Capture the beauty of this wonderful part of the country. Discover some of Dartmoor’s hidden gems and some of it’s more famous locations on a photography workshop.

There are also 4 workshops available for couples/duos with myself and my partner Phil Starkey, who is a landscape photographer in her own right. On these workshops you will have the benefit of two leaders knowledge and we offer a selection of packages ranging from three hours to a full dawn until dusk session for you to choose from.

This workshop starts at a sociable time of 9.00am and runs until 5.00pm with plenty of time to get to know your camera and take as many pictures as you like, with us guiding you towards getting better photo’s that you will be proud to hang on your walls. This includes a break for lunch and a look through all of the mornings’ images. Suitable for novices.

Sunrise – 3hrs

This workshop starts around an hour before sunrise so times vary according to time of year. We’ll meet at a pre arranged location and capture a very personal view of the start of the day. We’ll help to make sure you capture the best of this magical time of the day. This will be followed by a short tour and review of the mornings’ images.

Sunset – 3hrs

This workshop starts around 2 hours before sunset so varying times apply. We’ll meet at a suitable location where we’ll get to know your camera and prepare for Mother Nature to put on a display for you to capture (weather permitting) We’ll be on hand to guide you through the easiest techniques to ensure you manage to get good results. Suitable for novices.

Dawn to Dusk – up to 10hrs

This workshop starts very early and ends late. You’ll receive thorough instruction throughout the day covering all aspects of the art of landscape photography. We’ll take you around south Dartmoor to several locations where you can learn new camera skills and practice them. There will be a break for lunch where we will go through the mornings’ images. You’ll be able to understand landscape photography by the end of this full day.

Post processing – £15 per hr

I offer post-processing tuition as an add-on to any workshop.

Groups:

Up to 3 people in a group due to the transport available. Discount given to groups of 10% off per person. There will be some walking involved so you need to be reasonably fit and have good walking shoes/ boots and sensible clothing.

Things you need:

Camera and chosen lenses in your bag. If you don’t have a tripod you can use one of my spares.
• Any filters you own.
• All weather gear. Dartmoor does have sunshine, but the weather can also turn on you without warning.
• Waterproof walking boots or shoes. The ground on Dartmoor can be very boggy especially after rain.
• Battery power to see the session out. There are no sockets to plug your charger into out in the wilds.
• Drinks, snacks etc. to keep you going.
• Mobile phone, two phones are always better than one…
• It is also important to consider insurance for your camera gear if you are an adventurous photographer.

To book click below and you’ll be taken to secure payment via Paypal. Once complete you’ll be returned back. Then leave me your name, email address, contact number in the contact box below and a preferred date and I’ll reply to confirm. Dates are flexible to suit you. If your preferred date isn’t available I’ll arrange a date that is as close as possible to your chosen date. A £40.00 deposit is required on booking. The deposit is non-refundable. In severe adverse weather or unforeseen circumstances workshops could be rescheduled to another day.

Workshop Options

Workshops are tailored to suit ability sharing not only my craft but also my knowledge of my local National Park, Dartmoor. You’ll learn simple techniques to improve your photography without the need for photoshop.

It’s not the camera that makes the photo it’s the photographer. If the photographer can see the image that they want, they can capture it with any camera. The images on this site were made using a mid-level camera, not expensive pro spec equipment. This shows you don’t have to spend thousands on equipment to take great images, just a bit of thought and technique.

Digital cameras have made us lazy and we’ve learned to snap away and take lots of pictures in the hope that one shot will be a good one. Using techniques I learnt from years of using film, where every shot counts, I can show you how to maximise your hit rate and also keep your shutter count down, prolonging the life of your investment.

With Dartmoor as the classroom you can become absorbed in the solitude that inspires a sense of calm to produce unique, dynamic images. Impulsive weather brings the desolate emptiness to life; rocky tors transform with the ever-changing conditions, sometimes menacing, other times comforting, always free. You’ll learn how to capture this beauty with short walks to visit as many locations as possible in the time.

On a workshop with me, you’ll master your camera so you’ll always be ready to get the image you’re after. Composition will become second nature so you instantly know how to make a snap into a great image, and gain an understanding of how the light makes all the difference. I’ll explain filter use to enhance an image without the need for using software so you can spend more time out taking great photos. No jargon, no nonsense, just plain English, in relaxed, friendly atmosphere in a stunning setting.

For the enthusiasts, I’ll help you with anything you feel you’re stuck with and show you beautiful places that are perfect for landscape photography. You’ll have a relaxing time, spend it in wonderful scenery and won’t even know you’re learning new techniques. Basically, you’ll learn how I do what I do.

“I have just spent a day on Dartmoor with Alan. His passion for photographing beautiful landscapes is infectious and has motivated me to concentrate more in this area. His coaching on composition has shown me a new way to view my surroundings and the techniques he uses also blew some of my preconceptions about controlling light entering my camera. I can safely say my camera from now on in will not be set on automatic for the majority of the time. The key things I took away from the day I spent with him, other than increasing confidence in my own abilities, was understanding natural light, patience and experimenting with the camera to recreate the natural wonders that surrounds us.

If you are interested in taking leaps in improving your landscape photography a day with Alan is not only informative but a fantastic opportunity to develop skills which you just can’t get from reading books. John Nicholson – Now retired and looking forward to taking much better photographs.”

“I really enjoyed our day on Dartmoor, trying to improve on the fundamental basics of taking a great composition. I learnt more that day than any classroom lesson, now it’s down to me to build upon that knowledge.”Mark Mutton, Cornwall

“Brilliant morning on the moors today with Alan. Learnt so much & will definitely be booking another class.”Michele Pearce Richards, Devon